Analyst: Russia’s combat robots have “revolutionized” modern warfare

The capabilities of Russia’s Uran robotic combat vehicles significantly surpass those of its foreign competitors and can change the balance of power in future military conflicts, military analyst Eugene Chow said.

The expert stressed that these unmanned vehicles have already been tested in combat, especially in Syria. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Uran-6 and Uran-9 systems have proven their effectiveness during the Russian military operation in Syria. For example, the Uran-6 was deployed in the intense de-mining of the former ISIS-held city of Palmyra in Syria’s desert region and helped save the lives of thousands of people.

As for the Uran-9, the Russian Ministry of Defense has not reported whether it has been specifically tested in combat. However, the Uran-9 has been tested under other circumstances in Syria, like other modern Russian weapons, and successfully passed. In his article for The National Interest, Chow called these systems “revolutionary.”

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The US and China are also developing robot tanks, but unlike Russia, these countries are still assessing the potential for using these weapons in combat and are trying to overcome the technical problems of these combat vehicles.

“As the Uran-9 demonstrated, technologically the time has come for unmanned tanks, the question is how the armies of different countries will use them. Russia was the first country to test these weapons and its next steps can have consequences that are significant for other countries,” the expert concluded.

The Uran-6 robotic complex was created to deactivate mines. The Uran-9 was designed to support units on the battlefield, protect personnel and help evacuate them from under enemy fire. The vehicle is capable of performing missions in different climatic and geographic conditions. The radio controlled machine is equipped with a Shmel-M flamethrower, a PKTM machine gun, and a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon.

Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.